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TMCNet: Filipino seafarers find ally in Sen. Enrile

[July 03, 2009]

Filipino seafarers find ally in Sen. Enrile

MANILA, Jul 01, 2009 (Asia Pulse Data Source via COMTEX) -- President Juan Ponce Enrile cited on Wednesday the urgent need for Congress to pass measures that would promote the welfare as well as provide more ample protection to Filipino seafarers, whom he hailed as among the best in the world, if not the very best.

Speaking before the graduates of the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP) at Kamaya Point, Alas-asin, Mariveles, Bataan, Enrile stressed that hand-in-hand with pro-seafarer initiatives, the government must also promote and revitalize the domestic shipping industry so that Filipino seafarers will also ?have equally rewarding employment opportunities within our very shores.? Giving tribute to Filipino maritime workers, Enrile noted that over the years, ?the Philippines has been considered as the number one manning nation in the world, with about 25 percent Filipinos manning tankers, passenger maritime vessels or luxury liners of every flag in the world fleet.? ?It is evident that, despite the global economic crisis and the increasing competition from other labor-producing countries, there is still a huge demand for Filipino seafarers,? he said.

Enrile, however, said a seafarer?s life is not a picnic or a walk in the park.

?It has been said, time and again, that a seafarer has one foot in the ship and the other foot in the grave because of the dangers and risks that they face every day in their workplace,? Enrile said.

?The risks to their health and security are numerous plenty and cannot be adequately compensated by the income that they earn. I am saddened by the plight of seafarers who are working in hazardous conditions and are being exploited by their employers, and duped by their recruiters,? he added.

He also noted that in a highly competitive field, the foreign shipowners? substantial contribution to the training of Filipino seafarers through the MAAP is a testament to the value and competence of our seafarers.

?It also affirms their faith in the Filipino seafarers? dedication, work ethic, and capability to man their ships and handle all tasks that will be assigned to them aboard the ships,? Enrile said.

He also commended the officers and members of the Associated Marine Officers and Seaman?s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP), led by Capt. Gregorio Oca, and the MAAP leadership, headed by Vice Admiral Eduardo Ma. R. Santos, AFP (Ret.), for making MAAP academy a Cradle of Destiny for these young men and women.

?Today, we salute our dear seafarers ? Filipinos who have built a respectable reputation in the maritime industry, whose steps our young graduates today will soon follow. We salute their remarkable patience and good disposition even in the midst of loneliness and isolation from their families,? Enrile said.

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